During this lesson, students will learn the different pathways of the rock cycle and the three different classes of rock that exist. Students will classify unknown rock samples as igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic rock based on known characteristics of each class. Technology will be used to illustrate the rock cycle.
The reason that I chose to place this lesson after the lesson on convection is because convection inside the mantle drives the rock cycle. I will explain to the class that volcanoes contribute to the rock cycle because magma and lava create rocks. We will learn to classify the different types of rocks because it will help us build skills that can help us analyze what a volcanic rock can tell scientists about a volcano.
Learning Performances
Students will write down observations about twelve different unknown rock samples and will analyze their observations in order to classify which family of rock the samples belong to. They will also discuss how and why they classified their samples the way they did. Finally, students will complete a worksheet containing a diagram of the rock cycle which they can keep as a study aid.
Teacher:
Laptop
Projector
Key for 12 unknown rock samples
Students:
Lab notebook
Dynamic Earth textbook
The Rock Cycle worksheet
The Rock Type worksheet
5 sets of twelve numbered rock samples
Time Required
One 97 minute block:
10 min silent reading on rock cycle
5 min quick review of reading
25 min show and discuss website animation of rock cycle & complete Rock Cycle worksheet
35 min make observations and classify 12 samples of rock
15 min review as a class how each sample was classified
7 min complete Comparing Types of Rocks worksheet
Instructional Sequence
Introducing the lesson
I will begin the lesson by having the students silently read about rocks and the rock cycle from a section of Dynamic Earth, pages 93-97. Once the class has read this section, I will have a short class discussion letting the students tell me what they have read. By listening to their descriptions of the reading, I will be able to analyze the students' prior knowledge about rocks and the rock cycle.
I will then say, “So, what does the rock cycle have to do with volcanoes? The reason that we are learning about the rock cycle in this unit is because volcanoes help create different kinds of rock, making them an important aspect of the rock cycle. As we learned yesterday, convection in the mantle aids in the movement of Earth’s lithospheric plates and helps in the movement of molten rock to the surface of the Earth. This means that convection in the mantle acts as the driving force behind part of the rock cycle. Today we will be learning the different steps to the rock cycle. After that, we will practice how to classify rocks into each of the three types of rocks, created by the rock cycle, based on their physical characteristics.”
Instructional Activities
After the short general discussion on what the students read about the different kinds of rocks and the rock cycle, I will hand out a copy of the rock cycle worksheet and display the rock cycle animation from the website listed down below. As I go through the rock cycle animation, I will also help the students to fill in the blanks on their worksheet.
The first part of the animation displays magma coming out of a volcano and creating igneous rock. It is here that I will ask the students to look at their worksheet and I will point out that what we just saw begins at number 7 on the worksheet. I will ask: Who knows what term belongs in blank number seven? Answer: Magma. I will ask: What does cooling cause? Answer: crystallization. I will ask: And what kind of rock is formed by the cooling of magma? Answer: Igneous rock.
Next the animation goes on to illustrate erosion and the creation of sediments and their deposition. It then illustrates the creation of sedimentary rock. I will ask: What are igneous rocks exposed to in order to create sediment? Answer: Weathering/Erosion. I will ask: How do the loose sediments form rocks? Answer: Layering and cementation.
Now the animation will illustrate Metamorphism. I will ask: Heat and pressure on igneous or sedimentary rock creates a new rock, known as what? Answer: Metamorphic rock.
Finally, the animation illustrates the metamorphic rock melting, becoming magma once again, and completing the circle. I will ask: What must happen to turn rock into magma? Answer: Heating and melting.
I will finish off explaining the worksheet by explaining that the rock cycle never stops, but is a continuous cycle. I will also explain that although the animation only shows sedimentary rocks becoming metamorphic rocks, igneous rocks can also become metamorphic rocks. I want to make it clear to the students that this cycle can go in more than one direction and does not have to strictly follow the pattern that the animation followed. I will ask: Who can give me an example of a different path that a sedimentary rock can follow? Answer: It can be eroded to become sediments again and eventually become part of other sedimentary rocks.
The students will fill in their worksheets as we go through these questions as a class and I will refer back to the animation to help assist students in their answers or to clear up confusion.
Once we have completed the animation activity, I will begin to explain today's inquiry activity. I will pass out twelve numbered rock samples to each group of four students. Each group will be given twelve of the exact same types of rock that are numbered in the same order so that during the closing, all of the groups can discuss their results. In each set of rocks I will include 4 different sedimentary rocks, 4 different igneous rocks, and 4 different metamorphic rocks. I will then ask these groups to work together to decide which class of rocks each sample belongs in. To do this, the students will be using what they learned in today's class about the three classes of rock. I will have the students create a table in their lab notebooks which will provide a space to write the sample number, a description of the rock, which class of rock the sample belongs in, and why they came to this conclusion. I will remind the class that part of science is to investigate unknown specimens and try to find answers that can help explain what those specimens are. By applying concepts that are known, unknown concepts can be investigated. If appropriate, I can make this a friendly contest to see which group can classify the most rocks correctly. By the end of this activity, I want the students to have their twelve samples grouped together by how they classified them (all igneous together, all sedimentary together, all metamorphic together).
Concluding the Lesson
I will conclude this lesson by reviewing, as a class, how these samples were classified. I will take turns calling on students from each group to tell me how they classified a sample. I will have them explain to me why they classified it this way. After a student explains for each sample, I will ask the class... Who else classified sample # as ___? and Did anyone classify this sample differently, why? By doing this I can see how well the class did as a whole and I can have students work together to get the right answer if a wrong answer was given.
After we have classified all of the samples, I will relate this activity to the rock cycle by saying "Each of these samples is in a part of the rock cycle right now." I will hold up one of the samples such as coral and say "As we discussed, this coral is a sedimentary rock because it is made from organic matter (animal remains). If I went and threw this outside, hundreds of years from now, what do you think would have happened to this rock?" Answer (if I'm lucky): It could be broken down into sediment or it could be spread out between multiple sedimentary rocks because after it became sediment, the sediment was separated and formed into new rocks. It is important that the students understand that the reason we are learning about rocks is because they are part of a cycle that is continuously occurring all around us.
If there is additional time left at the end of class I will have the students complete the "comparing types of rocks" worksheet on the back of the rock cycle worksheet we completed earlier in class.
Assessing Student Understanding
I will be able to assess student understanding during the conclusion of class when I have the students tell me how they classified each sample. If the students truly understand the difference between the classes of rocks, they will classify a majority of the samples correctly and will be able to explain observations that they made that are characteristic of a specific class of rocks (ex. the lines found in a gneiss due to the pressure put on a rock). Also, I will be able to look at the students worksheet of the rock cycle diagram to see if they are filling the blanks in appropriately.
Cautions
I want to be sure that the students understand that the rock cycle is a continuous cycle that happens very slowly. I will remind the students of this throughout the lesson when needed.
Sources
Maton, A, Hopkins, J, Johnson, S, & LaHart, D (1993). Dynamic Earth. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Earth Science Binder of worksheets - Saddleback Publishing, Inc. 2006.
One challenge in carrying out this activity is that some students may be quicker at identifying the samples than other students. To slow these students down a little and to provide the other students with an opportunity to make classifications, I used a larger number of samples and I am requiring all of the students to take the time to write out their observations about each sample along with their reason for classifying it.
Another challenge will be for me not to answer questions during the investigation. Some students ask many questions because they are not confident in themselves, and they may ask questions during the investigation. I am going to make a statement at the beginning of the activity explaining that I want the students to classify these rocks without any guidance from me. I will make it clear that I will go over their results at the end of class, but that I will not help them during the activity in anyway.
Rationale
In the opening activity of this lesson, I am activating students' prior knowledge by reading a section in their textbooks about the rock cycle and the three classes of rocks. It is important to incorporate literacy into all content areas because literacy is an issue that must be addressed according to the NCLB. Also, the NSES explains that "scientific literacy entails being able to read with understanding articles about science in the popular press and to engage in social conversation about the validity of the conclusions."
In the second activity of this lesson plan, I am addressing the need for technology in the classroom. According to the National Science Education Standards, "Technology and science are closely related. A single problem often has both scientific and technological aspects. The need to answer questions in the natural world drives the development of technological products; moreover, technological needs can drive scientific research. And technological products, from pencils to computers, provide tools that promote the understanding of natural phenomena." The website I found with the animation of the rock cycle is a tool that I am using to help my students understand a scientific concept.
The third activity of this lesson plan allows the students to practice scientific inquiry. The NSES state "Scientific inquiry refers to the diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on the evidence derived from their work. Inquiry also refers to the activities of students in which they develop knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, as well as an understanding of how scientists study the natural world." In my activity, the students must apply what they have just learned about how the three classes of rock are formed to classify unknown samples of rock. The students will have to think critically to successfully complete the assigned task.
Nice job unpacking another standard. I linked it to our learning goals page as well.
Is it clear that the lesson addresses both important content and scientific practices?
Yes.
Instructional Activities
What science practices are required?
As written, I think the lesson requires some classification of the rocks.
How are the science practices supported?
The materials are more than adequate.
How are the science practices assessed?
Worksheets, etc.
Your rationale shows that you have thought through each of the three main activities of the lesson and grounded them in important ideas about how people learn (literacy skills, using a variety of representations, e.g. technology, and engaging students in inquiry). I think you have missed one, however, and it might warrant some rethinking and possible rearranging. What is missing is introducing a "need to know," and encouraging students to think like scientists trying to find patterns where they are not obvious. Your lesson presents theory, has students view an animation that applies theory, and then classify rocks based on this theory. What this sequence is missing is a question, a struggle to answer the question and apply this answer, and the teacher coming to the rescue with clarifying information at the end. If you enact this lesson and it flops, then I would suggest this rearrangement:
a. Lead with a pile of rocks on each group's table. Explain that when geologists are trying to understand how the earth's surface changes over time, they spend a lot of time studying rocks. Since one way to study rocks is to classify them, then that is where we'll start as well. Ask students to classify the rocks at their table and be ready to explain their how their classification scheme would help understand what is going on with the earth's crust.
There may be frustration and confusion. Go with it. Scientists are often frustrated and confused. Encourage them to take a stab at the task. Don't use the word "rock cycle," since that will cue their (inert) knowledge.
b. Have the groups share their classification schemes and rationales. Bring the class together synthesize their stories, first determining how many different types of rock they observed, how they classified the rocks, and what place did these rocks have in the story of how the earth's surface might be changing.
c. Depending on what the groups said, introduce other factors and have each group add these factors in their earth crust story: weathering/erosion; extreme heat, and extreme pressure.
d. After leading students to a consensus model that tells a story and places the different rock types, show them the animation as a way of checking their own scientific thinking.
e. Assign the reading and worksheet as homework to reinforce their own efforts to figure out the rock cycle.
This might not work any better, but it is worth a try. My rationale is to lead with an investigatable question to put the student in a position where they have to think and try to figure something out, and wait for a "need to know" before filling in the details. Ideally, you will be able to hang your details off their initial work so that they feel like they really accomplished something. I did not like to assign in-class reading, since that was something they could do on their own time and I always find it hard to concentrate in a room of readers.
Title:
The Rock Cycle/Classifying RocksGrade Level:
EightCourse:
General ScienceLesson Overview
During this lesson, students will learn the different pathways of the rock cycle and the three different classes of rock that exist. Students will classify unknown rock samples as igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic rock based on known characteristics of each class. Technology will be used to illustrate the rock cycle.The reason that I chose to place this lesson after the lesson on convection is because convection inside the mantle drives the rock cycle. I will explain to the class that volcanoes contribute to the rock cycle because magma and lava create rocks. We will learn to classify the different types of rocks because it will help us build skills that can help us analyze what a volcanic rock can tell scientists about a volcano.
Learning Performances
Students will write down observations about twelve different unknown rock samples and will analyze their observations in order to classify which family of rock the samples belong to. They will also discuss how and why they classified their samples the way they did. Finally, students will complete a worksheet containing a diagram of the rock cycle which they can keep as a study aid.Links to Standards or Benchmarks
Learning GoalMaterials Needed
Teacher:Laptop
Projector
Key for 12 unknown rock samples
Students:
Lab notebook
Dynamic Earth textbook
The Rock Cycle worksheet
The Rock Type worksheet
5 sets of twelve numbered rock samples
Time Required
One 97 minute block:10 min silent reading on rock cycle
5 min quick review of reading
25 min show and discuss website animation of rock cycle & complete Rock Cycle worksheet
35 min make observations and classify 12 samples of rock
15 min review as a class how each sample was classified
7 min complete Comparing Types of Rocks worksheet
Instructional Sequence
Introducing the lesson
I will begin the lesson by having the students silently read about rocks and the rock cycle from a section of Dynamic Earth, pages 93-97. Once the class has read this section, I will have a short class discussion letting the students tell me what they have read. By listening to their descriptions of the reading, I will be able to analyze the students' prior knowledge about rocks and the rock cycle.I will then say, “So, what does the rock cycle have to do with volcanoes? The reason that we are learning about the rock cycle in this unit is because volcanoes help create different kinds of rock, making them an important aspect of the rock cycle. As we learned yesterday, convection in the mantle aids in the movement of Earth’s lithospheric plates and helps in the movement of molten rock to the surface of the Earth. This means that convection in the mantle acts as the driving force behind part of the rock cycle. Today we will be learning the different steps to the rock cycle. After that, we will practice how to classify rocks into each of the three types of rocks, created by the rock cycle, based on their physical characteristics.”
Instructional Activities
After the short general discussion on what the students read about the different kinds of rocks and the rock cycle, I will hand out a copy of the rock cycle worksheet and display the rock cycle animation from the website listed down below. As I go through the rock cycle animation, I will also help the students to fill in the blanks on their worksheet.
The students will fill in their worksheets as we go through these questions as a class and I will refer back to the animation to help assist students in their answers or to clear up confusion.
Once we have completed the animation activity, I will begin to explain today's inquiry activity. I will pass out twelve numbered rock samples to each group of four students. Each group will be given twelve of the exact same types of rock that are numbered in the same order so that during the closing, all of the groups can discuss their results. In each set of rocks I will include 4 different sedimentary rocks, 4 different igneous rocks, and 4 different metamorphic rocks. I will then ask these groups to work together to decide which class of rocks each sample belongs in. To do this, the students will be using what they learned in today's class about the three classes of rock. I will have the students create a table in their lab notebooks which will provide a space to write the sample number, a description of the rock, which class of rock the sample belongs in, and why they came to this conclusion. I will remind the class that part of science is to investigate unknown specimens and try to find answers that can help explain what those specimens are. By applying concepts that are known, unknown concepts can be investigated. If appropriate, I can make this a friendly contest to see which group can classify the most rocks correctly. By the end of this activity, I want the students to have their twelve samples grouped together by how they classified them (all igneous together, all sedimentary together, all metamorphic together).
Concluding the Lesson
I will conclude this lesson by reviewing, as a class, how these samples were classified. I will take turns calling on students from each group to tell me how they classified a sample. I will have them explain to me why they classified it this way. After a student explains for each sample, I will ask the class... Who else classified sample # as ___? and Did anyone classify this sample differently, why? By doing this I can see how well the class did as a whole and I can have students work together to get the right answer if a wrong answer was given.After we have classified all of the samples, I will relate this activity to the rock cycle by saying "Each of these samples is in a part of the rock cycle right now." I will hold up one of the samples such as coral and say "As we discussed, this coral is a sedimentary rock because it is made from organic matter (animal remains). If I went and threw this outside, hundreds of years from now, what do you think would have happened to this rock?" Answer (if I'm lucky): It could be broken down into sediment or it could be spread out between multiple sedimentary rocks because after it became sediment, the sediment was separated and formed into new rocks. It is important that the students understand that the reason we are learning about rocks is because they are part of a cycle that is continuously occurring all around us.
If there is additional time left at the end of class I will have the students complete the "comparing types of rocks" worksheet on the back of the rock cycle worksheet we completed earlier in class.
Assessing Student Understanding
I will be able to assess student understanding during the conclusion of class when I have the students tell me how they classified each sample. If the students truly understand the difference between the classes of rocks, they will classify a majority of the samples correctly and will be able to explain observations that they made that are characteristic of a specific class of rocks (ex. the lines found in a gneiss due to the pressure put on a rock). Also, I will be able to look at the students worksheet of the rock cycle diagram to see if they are filling the blanks in appropriately.Cautions
I want to be sure that the students understand that the rock cycle is a continuous cycle that happens very slowly. I will remind the students of this throughout the lesson when needed.Sources
Maton, A, Hopkins, J, Johnson, S, & LaHart, D (1993). Dynamic Earth. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.Earth Science Binder of worksheets - Saddleback Publishing, Inc. 2006.
Teaching Resources
Rock Cycle AnimationRock Cycle Wkst
Types of Rocks Wkst
Challenges in Carrying-out the Investigation
One challenge in carrying out this activity is that some students may be quicker at identifying the samples than other students. To slow these students down a little and to provide the other students with an opportunity to make classifications, I used a larger number of samples and I am requiring all of the students to take the time to write out their observations about each sample along with their reason for classifying it.Another challenge will be for me not to answer questions during the investigation. Some students ask many questions because they are not confident in themselves, and they may ask questions during the investigation. I am going to make a statement at the beginning of the activity explaining that I want the students to classify these rocks without any guidance from me. I will make it clear that I will go over their results at the end of class, but that I will not help them during the activity in anyway.
Rationale
In the opening activity of this lesson, I am activating students' prior knowledge by reading a section in their textbooks about the rock cycle and the three classes of rocks. It is important to incorporate literacy into all content areas because literacy is an issue that must be addressed according to the NCLB. Also, the NSES explains that "scientific literacy entails being able to read with understanding articles about science in the popular press and to engage in social conversation about the validity of the conclusions."
In the second activity of this lesson plan, I am addressing the need for technology in the classroom. According to the National Science Education Standards, "Technology and science are closely related. A single problem often has both scientific and technological aspects. The need to answer questions in the natural world drives the development of technological products; moreover, technological needs can drive scientific research. And technological products, from pencils to computers, provide tools that promote the understanding of natural phenomena." The website I found with the animation of the rock cycle is a tool that I am using to help my students understand a scientific concept.
The third activity of this lesson plan allows the students to practice scientific inquiry. The NSES state "Scientific inquiry refers to the diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on the evidence derived from their work. Inquiry also refers to the activities of students in which they develop knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, as well as an understanding of how scientists study the natural world." In my activity, the students must apply what they have just learned about how the three classes of rock are formed to classify unknown samples of rock. The students will have to think critically to successfully complete the assigned task.
Back to Lesson Sequence
Inquiry Lesson Feedback: LIza G
Evaluated by: Jay F.Score: 9/10
Standards / Learning Performances
Nice job unpacking another standard. I linked it to our learning goals page as well.
Is it clear that the lesson addresses both important content and scientific practices?
Yes.Instructional Activities
What science practices are required?
As written, I think the lesson requires some classification of the rocks.How are the science practices supported?
The materials are more than adequate.How are the science practices assessed?
Worksheets, etc.Your rationale shows that you have thought through each of the three main activities of the lesson and grounded them in important ideas about how people learn (literacy skills, using a variety of representations, e.g. technology, and engaging students in inquiry). I think you have missed one, however, and it might warrant some rethinking and possible rearranging. What is missing is introducing a "need to know," and encouraging students to think like scientists trying to find patterns where they are not obvious. Your lesson presents theory, has students view an animation that applies theory, and then classify rocks based on this theory. What this sequence is missing is a question, a struggle to answer the question and apply this answer, and the teacher coming to the rescue with clarifying information at the end. If you enact this lesson and it flops, then I would suggest this rearrangement:
a. Lead with a pile of rocks on each group's table. Explain that when geologists are trying to understand how the earth's surface changes over time, they spend a lot of time studying rocks. Since one way to study rocks is to classify them, then that is where we'll start as well. Ask students to classify the rocks at their table and be ready to explain their how their classification scheme would help understand what is going on with the earth's crust.
There may be frustration and confusion. Go with it. Scientists are often frustrated and confused. Encourage them to take a stab at the task. Don't use the word "rock cycle," since that will cue their (inert) knowledge.
b. Have the groups share their classification schemes and rationales. Bring the class together synthesize their stories, first determining how many different types of rock they observed, how they classified the rocks, and what place did these rocks have in the story of how the earth's surface might be changing.
c. Depending on what the groups said, introduce other factors and have each group add these factors in their earth crust story: weathering/erosion; extreme heat, and extreme pressure.
d. After leading students to a consensus model that tells a story and places the different rock types, show them the animation as a way of checking their own scientific thinking.
e. Assign the reading and worksheet as homework to reinforce their own efforts to figure out the rock cycle.
This might not work any better, but it is worth a try. My rationale is to lead with an investigatable question to put the student in a position where they have to think and try to figure something out, and wait for a "need to know" before filling in the details. Ideally, you will be able to hang your details off their initial work so that they feel like they really accomplished something. I did not like to assign in-class reading, since that was something they could do on their own time and I always find it hard to concentrate in a room of readers.